Product description

'If you're a fan of 20th century design and want to know more about what to collect and what to reject, this is the book for you.' - Sunday Mail Modern design is beautiful, functional, idiosyncratic, and still relatively affordable. Designs that were once thought of as too avant-garde for functional use, are now appreciated for the bold thinking and originality that went into making them. However, many of these objects are just being discovered by collectors, and their craftsmanship and importance is only now being measured. Miller's 20th Century Design is the perfect handbook for the new and established collector. It explains who the iconic designers were and shows hundreds of desirable pieces: furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwares and more, with wonderful photography, hints and tips and price codes. This book, now available in the perfect gift size, tells you everything you need to know about the most important pieces of design. With in-depth analysis and a comprehensive selection of images, you can be confident in choosing the very best pieces from a period of intense innovation. Is Le Corbusier the new Chippendale? Is Charles Eames the new Duncan Phyffe?
Get the inside track on which designs are the true Classics and much much more!

Author information

Judith Miller began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She has since become one of the world's leading antiques experts in the field. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and has since written more than 100 books. Judith Miller appears regularly on TV and radio. She is an expert on the BBC's 'Antiques Roadshow' and hosted the BBC TV series 'The House Detectives', ITV's 'Antiques Trail', and Discovery's 'It's Your Bid'. She has appeared on 'The Martha Stewart Show' and CNN. She is a regular lecturer and contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times, BBC Homes & Antiques and House & Garden. She has lectured extensively, including at the V&A in London and the Smithsonian in Washington.

Review quote

Table of contents

Introduction: The Birth of Modernism William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement; Christopher Dresser; Charles Rennie Mackintosh; Weiner Werkstatte; Darmstadt Artist's Colony; Deutscher Werkbund; Prairie and Mission Schools, Frank Lloyd Wright. The Bauhaus The history of the Bauhaus and the work of its tutors and students. Art Deco What influenced the style and how it developed. Furniture. Ceramics. Glass. Metalware. Sculpture. Textiles. New materials. Mid Century Modern What influenced the style and how it developed. Furniture. Ceramics. Glass. Metalware. Sculpture. Textiles. New materials. Pop What influenced the style and how it developed. Furniture. Ceramics. Glass. Metalware. Sculpture. Textiles. New materials. Postmodernism What influenced the style and how it developed. Furniture. Ceramics. Glass. Metalware. Sculpture. Textiles. New materials. Contemporary What influenced the style and how it developed. Furniture. Ceramics. Glass. Metalware. Sculpture. Textiles. New materials.